DUMAGUETE CITY — A suspected drug pusher was shot dead by unidentified suspects in Barangay Tinago in this city shortly before midnight Sunday.
An initial police report identified the suspect as Vincent Villarin, 34 years old, married, and a resident of Purok Ubos in Barangay Tinago, this city.
On Monday, Supt. Jonathan Pineda, Dumaguete City police chief, said Villarin was reportedly a drug pusher although he was not on the watch list of drug personalities in the city.
“Based sa interview sa akong imbestigador, nagagamit ug nagbaligya to sya (based on my investigator’s interview, he was a drug user and peddler),” Pineda said in an interview.
According to the police chief, most of the drug personalities on the watch list were subjected to Oplan Tokhang, where police visit and warn suspected drug pushers to surrender.
Villarin was shot by two unidentified suspects wearing hoodies, around 11:13 p.m. near the Barangay Police outpost in Tinago, early police investigation showed.
He succumbed to around five gunshot bullet wounds in different parts of his body.
Responding police personnel recovered six pieces of fired empty shells of .45 caliber, one slug of .45 caliber and one Nokia mobile phone, among others.
Villarin’s wife, Rosita, told investigators the victim had asked money from her to buy cigarettes at a nearby store along the road, and within minutes, successive shots were heard.
A wounded Villarin managed to run a short distance before falling to the ground. He was pronounced dead around 11:37 p.m. by Dr. Kenneth T. Coo of ONE Rescue, who had responded to the crime scene.
The suspects had immediately fled the crime scene. It was not immediately known whether they were on foot or were riding a motorcycle in tandem, the police chief said.
Pineda believes the suspects may also be involved in the drug trade and the victim could have double-crossed them.
“Mao bitaw lantaw nato ana nga basin nagbaligya siya ug tawas o wala magbayad ug insakto sa halin (the victim might have either sold “tawas” or alum or had failed to remit sales from illegal drugs in full),” said Pineda. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
